This is both awesome and a bit sad for me, but sold my house. Got the asking price which was more than we paid for it, paid off a loan, 2 credit cards and most of what we took out of our business over the past couple of years.

We only had the house for 5 years, but I have many fond memories of it with my daughter and dog and going back to empty it was quite hard for me. But now I have nothing financially linking me with my ex and we can both near enough start our own independent lives anew.

Onwards and upwards hopefully

_________________There is no theory of evolution, just a list of animals that Chuck Norris allows to live.

I was going to my folks house straight from work today to see them and because they had my two wee nephews staying and I thought they'd amuse me for a bit (they did). Anyway, I work in Glasgow city centre so I always phone to see if they need any shopping as I go past. My mum asked me to get some bread. Coop has a type of bread called a "batard" which made me giggle pretty loudly - I may be 27 but words that look like dirty words amuse me. When I handed it to my mum, who also burst out laughing and pointed that out to me because she found it funny.

Martin McDonagh (writer of In Bruges, Seven Psychopaths, and the Cripple of Inishmaan, to name but a few) has a new one at the Royal Court, and it's £12 to get in. While I've seen musicals and revival tours and stuff, this is the first time I've seen a new play since college. Having expendable income is nice overall

One of best things about seeing a marvel film at the cinema is waiting for those 1 or 2 people or couples who get up to leave when the credits start, look around at everyone else remaining in their seats, then sheepishly sitting down again but not quite knowing why!

_________________There is no theory of evolution, just a list of animals that Chuck Norris allows to live.

Don't like to rub it in guys ( well not much anyway ) but I retired to a house 500yds from the beach, Seafront attractions half a mile. A 5 min stroll in the other direction and I am on the village green (with 3 lovely pubs) a 5 min drive and I am on the mountains with views on all sides. Lunch out most days for a very reasonable cost, then a beer in the sun

Don't like to rub it in guys ( well not much anyway ) but I retired to a house 500yds from the beach, Seafront attractions half a mile. A 5 min stroll in the other direction and I am on the village green (with 3 lovely pubs) a 5 min drive and I am on the mountains with views on all sides. Lunch out most days for a very reasonable cost, then a beer in the sun

Don't like to rub it in guys ( well not much anyway ) but I retired to a house 500yds from the beach, Seafront attractions half a mile. A 5 min stroll in the other direction and I am on the village green (with 3 lovely pubs) a 5 min drive and I am on the mountains with views on all sides. Lunch out most days for a very reasonable cost, then a beer in the sun

Mind, I think I would swap it for being young and in a nice job again

I can only think of 1 better place to retire - the same as that but without the smell of farming you mentioned in the annoyances thread

_________________There is no theory of evolution, just a list of animals that Chuck Norris allows to live.

Don't like to rub it in guys ( well not much anyway ) but I retired to a house 500yds from the beach, Seafront attractions half a mile. A 5 min stroll in the other direction and I am on the village green (with 3 lovely pubs) a 5 min drive and I am on the mountains with views on all sides. Lunch out most days for a very reasonable cost, then a beer in the sun

Mind, I think I would swap it for being young and in a nice job again

I can only think of 1 better place to retire - the same as that but without the smell of farming you mentioned in the annoyances thread

That is a drawback, but better than sitting in traffic If it was not cultivated there would be houses or factories on it, so although I complain, I suppose I should not. It seems to be gone today, though it will come back for a while when it rains.

Don't like to rub it in guys ( well not much anyway ) but I retired to a house 500yds from the beach, Seafront attractions half a mile. A 5 min stroll in the other direction and I am on the village green (with 3 lovely pubs) a 5 min drive and I am on the mountains with views on all sides. Lunch out most days for a very reasonable cost, then a beer in the sun

Moby, Let me add my congratulations. I too have recently retired; after almost thirty years living and working in the Arctic Mrs. Painless and I are now in beautiful Quebec. When you haven't seen fresh fruit and veg that hasn't been subjected to the tender mercies of the air cargo handlers for a while it's amazing how much joy a simple lettuce can bring you! We have, however, been bypassed by some of the technological advances seemingly taken for granted in the south; I am still trying to get my head round all the options my TV cable package offers! Bear in mind we did not have traffic lights in the north and only recently got cellphones and that'll give you an idea of the adjustments we are making now.

Bet that's a whole new adventure in itself, painless? And I love Eastern Canada (Ontario more than Quebec, my French has been a little rusty for the past couple of decades!), but if you're in Quebec city itself, its such a beautiful place.

_________________There is no theory of evolution, just a list of animals that Chuck Norris allows to live.

Moby, Let me add my congratulations. I too have recently retired; after almost thirty years living and working in the Arctic Mrs. Painless and I are now in beautiful Quebec. When you haven't seen fresh fruit and veg that hasn't been subjected to the tender mercies of the air cargo handlers for a while it's amazing how much joy a simple lettuce can bring you! We have, however, been bypassed by some of the technological advances seemingly taken for granted in the south; I am still trying to get my head round all the options my TV cable package offers! Bear in mind we did not have traffic lights in the north and only recently got cellphones and that'll give you an idea of the adjustments we are making now.

Nice. We better ease up on our gloat, or they will all be retiring A lot of "modern technology" is way over rated and for filling empty minds, be choosey

TBH I really hate the cold, so you deserve any pleasure you get. Enjoy it

They get dough balls then make their own pizza, play some games then eat them. I thought it'd just be putting toppings on, but they had a table floured up with lumps of dough and they got to do the full works and shape out the dough and crust and get it ready for the oven in a pan too. And the best part was one my my little girls friends didn't show up so I got to make one as well

Although if a group of 6 and 7 year olds can do it, it does mean that pizza chefs are probably overpaid!!!

(no disrespect to any pizza chefs out there)

_________________There is no theory of evolution, just a list of animals that Chuck Norris allows to live.

Wish I could spend it on 'lad' things (like a PS4 for a start), but have got Amsterdam in December, my wedding in Finland in January and then Florida in March so the missus has pulled rank and said it's purely spending money...

Wish I could spend it on 'lad' things (like a PS4 for a start), but have got Amsterdam in December, my wedding in Finland in January and then Florida in March so the missus has pulled rank and said it's purely spending money...

Wish I could spend it on 'lad' things (like a PS4 for a start), but have got Amsterdam in December, my wedding in Finland in January and then Florida in March so the missus has pulled rank and said it's purely spending money...

And Amsterdam is not a "lad' thing" you are doing it wrong mate

True, very true - although I'm older these days and there's 3 couples going I'm still allowing myself one night of 'no holds barred'. Let's see how that pans out!

Wish I could spend it on 'lad' things (like a PS4 for a start), but have got Amsterdam in December, my wedding in Finland in January and then Florida in March so the missus has pulled rank and said it's purely spending money...

And Amsterdam is not a "lad' thing" you are doing it wrong mate

True, very true - although I'm older these days and there's 3 couples going I'm still allowing myself one night of 'no holds barred'. Let's see how that pans out!

Probably best to allow yourself the following morning of no waking up as well then

_________________There is no theory of evolution, just a list of animals that Chuck Norris allows to live.

Considerably less awesome than getting a job, but for my fantasy football league I wrote some VBA code that worked out all the possible results, how this affects the table and the likely tiebreak results (tiebreaks were a *inaudible* to code). I'm not a programmer but I eventually managed to work all the kinks out of it.

Unfortunately, 81.3% of the potential outcomes have me in the last place playoff. But still, the lads in my league seemed rather impressed and, being the huge geek I am, it was a pretty fun challenge. I'm honestly more pleased with myself than I have any right to be right now.

I did something similar (but not at your level!) for a work-based Fantasy F1 league for a colleague; he gave me free entry as a result.On the downside, I had a wager with another colleague, with a Toblerone at stake. Guess who is going choccy shopping...

Don't like to rub it in guys ( well not much anyway ) but I retired to a house 500yds from the beach, Seafront attractions half a mile. A 5 min stroll in the other direction and I am on the village green (with 3 lovely pubs) a 5 min drive and I am on the mountains with views on all sides. Lunch out most days for a very reasonable cost, then a beer in the sun

Mind, I think I would swap it for being young and in a nice job again

Nice one Moby, I also retired but a good many years ago & strangely I am in a house 500 yards from the beach with seafront attractions for nearly a mile.It is a 5 minute drive into the mountains but I have over 15 pubs within a 5 minute radius, 6 of them on the seafront.

I echo your sentiments, I would sooner be be young & fit again & able to work.

I wish you a long & healthy retirement.

_________________Champions are made from something they have deep inside of them - a desire, a dream, a vision. They have last-minute stamina, they have to be a little faster, they have the skill & the will but the will must be stronger than the skill. Muhammad Ali

I live in York which if you've seen in the news has been hit by floods. We flood every year, we're kind of used to it and the media have been making it sound a lot worse than it is. But this year has been the second worst year in my lifetime.

What's awesome is the shear amount of volunteers from not just over the north of England, but as far away as Birmingham and more that have come to help people move their belongings, evacuate them and their families, help the army with sandbagging, help clean up afterwards and even offer their homes for those who need them for a while.

Good to see the community spirit still alive in a time when most people hardly even talk to their neighbour and these people have come to help complete strangers.

_________________There is no theory of evolution, just a list of animals that Chuck Norris allows to live.

Don't like to rub it in guys ( well not much anyway ) but I retired to a house 500yds from the beach, Seafront attractions half a mile. A 5 min stroll in the other direction and I am on the village green (with 3 lovely pubs) a 5 min drive and I am on the mountains with views on all sides. Lunch out most days for a very reasonable cost, then a beer in the sun

Mind, I think I would swap it for being young and in a nice job again

Nice one Moby, I also retired but a good many years ago & strangely I am in a house 500 yards from the beach with seafront attractions for nearly a mile.It is a 5 minute drive into the mountains but I have over 15 pubs within a 5 minute radius, 6 of them on the seafront.

I echo your sentiments, I would sooner be be young & fit again & able to work.

I wish you a long & healthy retirement.

Lets get eachother a drink to celebrate. You get them both that end, and I get them both this end and we will be square

Just counted. within a 5 min stroll i have 7 pubs/clubs ( 1 rugby, 1 cricket, one "sportsmens"), stretch it to 10 min and its 29. Lol. did not realise it was that many til I counted em. I lost count then, but there is about a mile where almost every place sells beer, be it a pub, restaurant etc, but I usually only go to 4. Dont know where you are, but in UK we get a free bus pass, and my self and the wife tend to spread ourselves about a little as we do not need to drive home.

The only down side is we get squalls straight from the bay of Mexico this time of year. The wind is frightening. It snapped our rotary cloths like this afternoon when a couple of sheets were out and we did not get beck before they got soaked. bent the tube like a rubber pipe.

Don't like to rub it in guys ( well not much anyway ) but I retired to a house 500yds from the beach, Seafront attractions half a mile. A 5 min stroll in the other direction and I am on the village green (with 3 lovely pubs) a 5 min drive and I am on the mountains with views on all sides. Lunch out most days for a very reasonable cost, then a beer in the sun

Mind, I think I would swap it for being young and in a nice job again

Nice one Moby, I also retired but a good many years ago & strangely I am in a house 500 yards from the beach with seafront attractions for nearly a mile.It is a 5 minute drive into the mountains but I have over 15 pubs within a 5 minute radius, 6 of them on the seafront.

I echo your sentiments, I would sooner be be young & fit again & able to work.

I wish you a long & healthy retirement.

Lets get eachother a drink to celebrate. You get them both that end, and I get them both this end and we will be square

Just counted. within a 5 min stroll i have 7 pubs/clubs ( 1 rugby, 1 cricket, one "sportsmens"), stretch it to 10 min and its 29. Lol. did not realise it was that many til I counted em. I lost count then, but there is about a mile where almost every place sells beer, be it a pub, restaurant etc, but I usually only go to 4. Dont know where you are, but in UK we get a free bus pass, and my self and the wife tend to spread ourselves about a little as we do not need to drive home.

The only down side is we get squalls straight from the bay of Mexico this time of year. The wind is frightening. It snapped our rotary cloths like this afternoon when a couple of sheets were out and we did not get beck before they got soaked. bent the tube like a rubber pipe.

Not complaining though.

Myself & the wife have also got free travel passes for all buses & trains but seldom use them as we drive most places. We have been blown apart by storm Frank for the last few days & have extensive flooding but thanhfully we were unaffected.We have alot of sporting venues in the town & my house backs onto the golf course. I am in the Emerald Isle.

An Irishman walks into the pub and promptly orders three beers. The bartender raises his eyebrows, but serves the man three beers, which he drinks quietly at a table, alone.

An hour later, the man has finished the three beers and orders three more. This happens yet again. The next evening the man again orders and drinks three beers at a time, several times.

Finally, a week later, the bartender broaches the subject. Idon't mean to pry but I was wondering why you always order three beers?"

You see, I have two brothers, and one went to America, and the other to Australia. We promised each other that we would always order an extra two beers whenever we drank as a way of keeping up the family bond."

The bartender was pleased with this answer, and soon the Man Who Orders Three Beers became a local celebrity and source of pride to the hamlet.

Then, one day, the man comes in and orders only two beers. The bartender pours them with a heavy heart. This continues for the rest of the evening: he orders only two beers.

The next day, the bartender says to the man, "Folks around here, me first of all, want to offer condolences to you for the death of your brother. You know -- the two beers and all..."

You'll be happy to hear that my two brothers are alive and well. It's just that I, meself, have decided to give up drinking for Lent."

_________________Champions are made from something they have deep inside of them - a desire, a dream, a vision. They have last-minute stamina, they have to be a little faster, they have the skill & the will but the will must be stronger than the skill. Muhammad Ali

Don't like to rub it in guys ( well not much anyway ) but I retired to a house 500yds from the beach, Seafront attractions half a mile. A 5 min stroll in the other direction and I am on the village green (with 3 lovely pubs) a 5 min drive and I am on the mountains with views on all sides. Lunch out most days for a very reasonable cost, then a beer in the sun

Mind, I think I would swap it for being young and in a nice job again

Nice one Moby, I also retired but a good many years ago & strangely I am in a house 500 yards from the beach with seafront attractions for nearly a mile.It is a 5 minute drive into the mountains but I have over 15 pubs within a 5 minute radius, 6 of them on the seafront.

I echo your sentiments, I would sooner be be young & fit again & able to work.

I wish you a long & healthy retirement.

Lets get eachother a drink to celebrate. You get them both that end, and I get them both this end and we will be square

Just counted. within a 5 min stroll i have 7 pubs/clubs ( 1 rugby, 1 cricket, one "sportsmens"), stretch it to 10 min and its 29. Lol. did not realise it was that many til I counted em. I lost count then, but there is about a mile where almost every place sells beer, be it a pub, restaurant etc, but I usually only go to 4. Dont know where you are, but in UK we get a free bus pass, and my self and the wife tend to spread ourselves about a little as we do not need to drive home.

The only down side is we get squalls straight from the bay of Mexico this time of year. The wind is frightening. It snapped our rotary cloths like this afternoon when a couple of sheets were out and we did not get beck before they got soaked. bent the tube like a rubber pipe.

Not complaining though.

Myself & the wife have also got free travel passes for all buses & trains but seldom use them as we drive most places. We have been blown apart by storm Frank for the last few days & have extensive flooding but thanhfully we were unaffected.We have alot of sporting venues in the town & my house backs onto the golf course. I am in the Emerald Isle.

An Irishman walks into the pub and promptly orders three beers. The bartender raises his eyebrows, but serves the man three beers, which he drinks quietly at a table, alone.

An hour later, the man has finished the three beers and orders three more. This happens yet again. The next evening the man again orders and drinks three beers at a time, several times.

Finally, a week later, the bartender broaches the subject. Idon't mean to pry but I was wondering why you always order three beers?"

You see, I have two brothers, and one went to America, and the other to Australia. We promised each other that we would always order an extra two beers whenever we drank as a way of keeping up the family bond."

The bartender was pleased with this answer, and soon the Man Who Orders Three Beers became a local celebrity and source of pride to the hamlet.

Then, one day, the man comes in and orders only two beers. The bartender pours them with a heavy heart. This continues for the rest of the evening: he orders only two beers.

The next day, the bartender says to the man, "Folks around here, me first of all, want to offer condolences to you for the death of your brother. You know -- the two beers and all..."

You'll be happy to hear that my two brothers are alive and well. It's just that I, meself, have decided to give up drinking for Lent."

Lol, like the joke and your house looks ideal. You are on the sheltered part though, what blows south of cape clear island goes straight into my front garden.

Loverly part of the isle there. not crowded but you still on the DART?

Don't like to rub it in guys ( well not much anyway ) but I retired to a house 500yds from the beach, Seafront attractions half a mile. A 5 min stroll in the other direction and I am on the village green (with 3 lovely pubs) a 5 min drive and I am on the mountains with views on all sides. Lunch out most days for a very reasonable cost, then a beer in the sun

Mind, I think I would swap it for being young and in a nice job again

Nice one Moby, I also retired but a good many years ago & strangely I am in a house 500 yards from the beach with seafront attractions for nearly a mile.It is a 5 minute drive into the mountains but I have over 15 pubs within a 5 minute radius, 6 of them on the seafront.

I echo your sentiments, I would sooner be be young & fit again & able to work.

I wish you a long & healthy retirement.

Lets get eachother a drink to celebrate. You get them both that end, and I get them both this end and we will be square

Just counted. within a 5 min stroll i have 7 pubs/clubs ( 1 rugby, 1 cricket, one "sportsmens"), stretch it to 10 min and its 29. Lol. did not realise it was that many til I counted em. I lost count then, but there is about a mile where almost every place sells beer, be it a pub, restaurant etc, but I usually only go to 4. Dont know where you are, but in UK we get a free bus pass, and my self and the wife tend to spread ourselves about a little as we do not need to drive home.

The only down side is we get squalls straight from the bay of Mexico this time of year. The wind is frightening. It snapped our rotary cloths like this afternoon when a couple of sheets were out and we did not get beck before they got soaked. bent the tube like a rubber pipe.

Not complaining though.

Myself & the wife have also got free travel passes for all buses & trains but seldom use them as we drive most places. We have been blown apart by storm Frank for the last few days & have extensive flooding but thanhfully we were unaffected.We have alot of sporting venues in the town & my house backs onto the golf course. I am in the Emerald Isle.

An Irishman walks into the pub and promptly orders three beers. The bartender raises his eyebrows, but serves the man three beers, which he drinks quietly at a table, alone.

An hour later, the man has finished the three beers and orders three more. This happens yet again. The next evening the man again orders and drinks three beers at a time, several times.

Finally, a week later, the bartender broaches the subject. Idon't mean to pry but I was wondering why you always order three beers?"

You see, I have two brothers, and one went to America, and the other to Australia. We promised each other that we would always order an extra two beers whenever we drank as a way of keeping up the family bond."

The bartender was pleased with this answer, and soon the Man Who Orders Three Beers became a local celebrity and source of pride to the hamlet.

Then, one day, the man comes in and orders only two beers. The bartender pours them with a heavy heart. This continues for the rest of the evening: he orders only two beers.

The next day, the bartender says to the man, "Folks around here, me first of all, want to offer condolences to you for the death of your brother. You know -- the two beers and all..."

You'll be happy to hear that my two brothers are alive and well. It's just that I, meself, have decided to give up drinking for Lent."

Lol, like the joke and your house looks ideal. You are on the sheltered part though, what blows south of cape clear island goes straight into my front garden.

Loverly part of the isle there. not crowded but you still on the DART?

Surprised you know about the DART. Yep, just a short walk to the station & a 5 minute drive to the park & ride for the LUAS at Brides Glen & the bus passes the end of my street. Indeed, on the sheltered side & anything from the west has to hit the Dublin & Wiclow mountains before it gets to us.

You must be down with those Pirates in Penzance or maybe up with Thomas the tank engine in Truro if the weather is coming at you from below Cape Clear.

_________________Champions are made from something they have deep inside of them - a desire, a dream, a vision. They have last-minute stamina, they have to be a little faster, they have the skill & the will but the will must be stronger than the skill. Muhammad Ali

Don't like to rub it in guys ( well not much anyway ) but I retired to a house 500yds from the beach, Seafront attractions half a mile. A 5 min stroll in the other direction and I am on the village green (with 3 lovely pubs) a 5 min drive and I am on the mountains with views on all sides. Lunch out most days for a very reasonable cost, then a beer in the sun

Mind, I think I would swap it for being young and in a nice job again

Nice one Moby, I also retired but a good many years ago & strangely I am in a house 500 yards from the beach with seafront attractions for nearly a mile.It is a 5 minute drive into the mountains but I have over 15 pubs within a 5 minute radius, 6 of them on the seafront.

I echo your sentiments, I would sooner be be young & fit again & able to work.

I wish you a long & healthy retirement.

Lets get eachother a drink to celebrate. You get them both that end, and I get them both this end and we will be square

Just counted. within a 5 min stroll i have 7 pubs/clubs ( 1 rugby, 1 cricket, one "sportsmens"), stretch it to 10 min and its 29. Lol. did not realise it was that many til I counted em. I lost count then, but there is about a mile where almost every place sells beer, be it a pub, restaurant etc, but I usually only go to 4. Dont know where you are, but in UK we get a free bus pass, and my self and the wife tend to spread ourselves about a little as we do not need to drive home.

The only down side is we get squalls straight from the bay of Mexico this time of year. The wind is frightening. It snapped our rotary cloths like this afternoon when a couple of sheets were out and we did not get beck before they got soaked. bent the tube like a rubber pipe.

Not complaining though.

Myself & the wife have also got free travel passes for all buses & trains but seldom use them as we drive most places. We have been blown apart by storm Frank for the last few days & have extensive flooding but thanhfully we were unaffected.We have alot of sporting venues in the town & my house backs onto the golf course. I am in the Emerald Isle.

An Irishman walks into the pub and promptly orders three beers. The bartender raises his eyebrows, but serves the man three beers, which he drinks quietly at a table, alone.

An hour later, the man has finished the three beers and orders three more. This happens yet again. The next evening the man again orders and drinks three beers at a time, several times.

Finally, a week later, the bartender broaches the subject. Idon't mean to pry but I was wondering why you always order three beers?"

You see, I have two brothers, and one went to America, and the other to Australia. We promised each other that we would always order an extra two beers whenever we drank as a way of keeping up the family bond."

The bartender was pleased with this answer, and soon the Man Who Orders Three Beers became a local celebrity and source of pride to the hamlet.

Then, one day, the man comes in and orders only two beers. The bartender pours them with a heavy heart. This continues for the rest of the evening: he orders only two beers.

The next day, the bartender says to the man, "Folks around here, me first of all, want to offer condolences to you for the death of your brother. You know -- the two beers and all..."

You'll be happy to hear that my two brothers are alive and well. It's just that I, meself, have decided to give up drinking for Lent."

Lol, like the joke and your house looks ideal. You are on the sheltered part though, what blows south of cape clear island goes straight into my front garden.

Loverly part of the isle there. not crowded but you still on the DART?

Surprised you know about the DART. Yep, just a short walk to the station & a 5 minute drive to the park & ride for the LUAS at Brides Glen & the bus passes the end of my street. Indeed, on the sheltered side & anything from the west has to hit the Dublin & Wiclow mountains before it gets to us.

You must be down with those Pirates in Penzance or maybe up with Thomas the tank engine in Truro if the weather is coming at you from below Cape Clear.

No, I am north of the channel just by the tiny island.Used to spend a lot of time in your area. Nice place. However, there seem to be very few "locals" left. People like us have taken over

Lets get eachother a drink to celebrate. You get them both that end, and I get them both this end and we will be square

Just counted. within a 5 min stroll i have 7 pubs/clubs ( 1 rugby, 1 cricket, one "sportsmens"), stretch it to 10 min and its 29. Lol. did not realise it was that many til I counted em. I lost count then, but there is about a mile where almost every place sells beer, be it a pub, restaurant etc, but I usually only go to 4. Dont know where you are, but in UK we get a free bus pass, and my self and the wife tend to spread ourselves about a little as we do not need to drive home.

The only down side is we get squalls straight from the bay of Mexico this time of year. The wind is frightening. It snapped our rotary cloths like this afternoon when a couple of sheets were out and we did not get beck before they got soaked. bent the tube like a rubber pipe.

Not complaining though.[/quote]

Myself & the wife have also got free travel passes for all buses & trains but seldom use them as we drive most places. We have been blown apart by storm Frank for the last few days & have extensive flooding but thanhfully we were unaffected.We have alot of sporting venues in the town & my house backs onto the golf course. I am in the Emerald Isle.

An Irishman walks into the pub and promptly orders three beers. The bartender raises his eyebrows, but serves the man three beers, which he drinks quietly at a table, alone.

An hour later, the man has finished the three beers and orders three more. This happens yet again. The next evening the man again orders and drinks three beers at a time, several times.

Finally, a week later, the bartender broaches the subject. Idon't mean to pry but I was wondering why you always order three beers?"

You see, I have two brothers, and one went to America, and the other to Australia. We promised each other that we would always order an extra two beers whenever we drank as a way of keeping up the family bond."

The bartender was pleased with this answer, and soon the Man Who Orders Three Beers became a local celebrity and source of pride to the hamlet.

Then, one day, the man comes in and orders only two beers. The bartender pours them with a heavy heart. This continues for the rest of the evening: he orders only two beers.

The next day, the bartender says to the man, "Folks around here, me first of all, want to offer condolences to you for the death of your brother. You know -- the two beers and all..."

You'll be happy to hear that my two brothers are alive and well. It's just that I, meself, have decided to give up drinking for Lent."[/quote]

Lol, like the joke and your house looks ideal. You are on the sheltered part though, what blows south of cape clear island goes straight into my front garden.

Loverly part of the isle there. not crowded but you still on the DART?[/quote]

Surprised you know about the DART. Yep, just a short walk to the station & a 5 minute drive to the park & ride for the LUAS at Brides Glen & the bus passes the end of my street. Indeed, on the sheltered side & anything from the west has to hit the Dublin & Wiclow mountains before it gets to us.

You must be down with those Pirates in Penzance or maybe up with Thomas the tank engine in Truro if the weather is coming at you from below Cape Clear.[/quote]

No, I am north of the channel just by the tiny island.Used to spend a lot of time in your area. Nice place. However, there seem to be very few "locals" left. People like us have taken over

Had a tipple with you on Sunday night, hope you enjoyed it as it was a pint of the black stuff.

Yep, Portcawl looks like a nice place, not too disimilar to where I am but we don't get the blast you get from across the Atlantic.

there seem to be very few "locals" left. People like us have taken over.

_________________Champions are made from something they have deep inside of them - a desire, a dream, a vision. They have last-minute stamina, they have to be a little faster, they have the skill & the will but the will must be stronger than the skill. Muhammad Ali